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(No Model.)

L. F. BETTS. LAMP SUPPORT.

No. 560,338. Patented May 19, 1896.

WITNESSES}. |N\/ENTUR:

BY 3 FTTURNEY ANDREW B GRAHAM.PHOTOUTHflWASHNGTOH DC UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LElVIS F. BETTS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR'TO THE BETTS PATENT HEAD LIGHT COMPANY, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

LAM P-SU PPO RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,338, dated May 19, 1896.

Serial No. 564,602. (N6 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnwrs F. Burrs, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, Kings county, in the State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lamp-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

The invention may serve in all positions where a lamp-support is subjected to motion and a yielding device is required to soften the concussions on the lamp; but it is intended more especially for bicycles, and I will describe it as thus applied. The construction is light and strong, allows the lamp to be easily connected and disconnected, and provides for controlling the motion by springs and stops arranged to promote a uniform position of the lamp under all concussions of the carrying structure. Two springs are arranged to act in opposition to each other when the lamp is in or near the medium position, and in that position the lamp yields readily, but when the lamp sinks much below or rises much above the middle position one of the springs ceases to be effective and the other alone remains in action, so as to prevent excessive movements. Then from any violent concussion the lamp approaches an extreme limit of motion, each of these springs serves in a new relation to arrest the movement still more peremptorily.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and represent what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my attachment in the medium position. Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the condition when the lamp is greatly depressed. The lamp is shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4; 4 in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they appear.

A is the ordinary bracket permanently fixed on and forming a part of a bicycle, the remainder of which is not shown, and which may be of any ordinary or suitable character.

B is a socket having a soft lined fiat interior adapted to match on the bracket A and provided with a tightening-screw acting on the lining-pieoe in the socket to effect the confining and releasing in the ordinary longapproved manner.

B B are knuckles on the front of the socket, which carry links 0 and D, which links connect by eyes or knuckles E E with a spring E, convoluted and having its ends formed with lips E", extending upward and downward, as shown. The convoluted part of the spring presents two rearward swells, one above the other, (marked, respectively, E and B and which, besides contributin g to the elasticity of the spring, serve as nearly rigid stops to arrest the motion of the lamp M in extreme positions by striking each against the end of the proper restraining-spring, to be described farther on. The lips E E engage in slots or pockets in the rear face of the lamp M, which latter is shown in dotted outline in Fig. I prefer the lamp set forth in the patent to me, dated June 4., 1895, No. 540,296, but any other style of lamp may be used which is equipped with pockets which will allow it to be engaged and disengaged in the same manner. The engagement is effected by compressing the convoluted spring E, so as to reduce its vertical dimensions, presenting the lamp properly thereto, so that the lips E E are properly related to the pockets in the lamp, and then allowing the spring E to expand vertically. Each link O and D is formed of sufficiently stout sheet metal properly cut and bent, and each presents a fiat cross-piece, (marked, respectively, O and D,) which affords a fair bearing-surface for the proper spring.

G and H are the two restraining-springs, the uppermost G, being also the sustainingspring. It is coiled around the bolt of the knuckle B and extending its bight horizontally forward at the root of the link 0. This spring acts below the upper link 0 in the direction to resist its descent much below the horizontal position. The lower restrainingspring H is similarlycoiled around the bolt of the knuckle B and extends its bight horizontally forward at the level of the lower link D, arranged to act above it and resist its movement when it rises much above the level position. Each of these restraining-springs is coiled so many times around its central bolt B or B as will give a sufficient elastic action, and its other end or arm rests against the front face of the socket B. The upper spring G is prevented from rising much above the horizontal line by an arm B and the lower spring 11 is prevented from sinking much below the horizontal line by a corresponding lower arm 13*. It will be understood that the contact of the springs G and II with these arms or stops, respectively, prevent either spring from following the motions of the lamp beyond a certain distance in its movements up and down.

It will be understood that the lamp is carried in general in the ordinary manner, the links 0 and D changing their inclinations as the lamp rises and sinks and allowing the lamp to move in extreme cases, so as to bring the linksto an angle of about forty-five degrees upward and downward. So long as the lamp remains near the middle position it is subjected to the influence of both springs G and H, and the movement is easy; but when from any violent concussion or from a succession of moderate concussions following each other at certain intervals the lamp tends to move too far the upper spring G meets its stop B and becomes inoperative, while the lower spring H exerts its increased force, due to its deflection upward, and rapidly restrains the motion. Then, on the contrary, the lamp swings down too far, the lower spring II meets its stop 13 and is not able to follow farther. Thus conditioned, the further downward movement of the lamp is restrained by the full force of the spring G, and it will be also understood that a still greater resistance of the further motion is experienced when the lamp moves still further upward ordownward; WVhen it rises up to the extreme position, the lower convolution E of the spring E strikes the free end of the spring G, and when it moves downward to the extreme position the upper convolution E of the same spring strikes the lower spring II. This latter is the condition shown in-Fig. 3. WVhen either of these contacts obtains, the movement'of the lamp is restrained rapidly, the arrest being absolute, except for the slight yielding due to the fact that the contact is between the springs G and E or H and E. It will be observed that ineither contact there is a slight yielding tending to avoid injurious concussion;

My lamp may be disconnected from the bicycle in the ordinary manner by relaxing the screw and lifting the socket B off from the bracket A. hen thus detached, my mechanism goes with the lamp, and under ordinary conditions when thelamp is unshipped simply for filling, cleaning, &c., it will be most convenient to thus operate and allow my attachment to remain connected with the lamp; but when the lamp is to be used for any considerable time as a lamp for general purposes or as a hand-lantern, for which use it may be carried by a wire handle, it is preferable to disconnect my mechanism. This is effected by compressing the spring E, so as to detach the lips E E" from their respective pockets. Lamps of the construction set forth in my said patent of J une, 1895, have such a wire handle, used also with this invention, which is bent down out of the way when the lamp is used on a bicycle, but which can be turned into the upright position and used as a bail when the lamp is to be carried about and used as a lantern. I make the spring E with shoulders E wider than the lips and E and adapted to bear against the rear of the lamp-body, so as to resist side motions. I attach importance to the fact that the links 0 and D are sufficiently wide apart to allow this wide spring to move up and down freely between them. I also attach importance to the fact that the links are still'ly connected by the cross-pieces O D in rear of the spring E, suchserving not only as bearings to receive the action of the respective spring G or II, but also contributing to the lateral stiffness of the lamp-support.

Modifications maybe made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

Parts of the invention can be used without the whole. The spring E may be wide at the top or bottom alone, the other part being narrower, as afair bearing of the spring at each side against the lamp either at the top or bottom is sufficient to resist the twisting strains. I can dispense with such bearings entirely, if desired, in any case.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a lamp-support the socket 13, two links 0, D, pivoted thereto, and also to the spring E,'in combination with such spring, adapted to move freely up and down between such links as the lamp vibrates in use, and having lips E E adapted to engage with pockets in the lamp, all arranged for joint operation, substantially as hereinspecified.

2. In a lamp-support the two links 0, D, in combination with a spring E connecting such links and acting between them, and having lips E, E, and with a supporting-socket l3 and a lamp having pockets to receive said lips, all arranged for joint operation substantially as herein specified.

3. In a lamp-support, the two links 0, D, in combination with the lamp and with a support as the socket B, and with two springs G and H, exerting their tension in diverse directions, and with the stop-arms B, B", arranged to restrain each the action of one spring when the lamp has moved to a certain extent away from the middle position, all substantially as herein specified.

4:. In a lamp-support, the two links 0, D, in

combination with the lamp and a support as the socket B, and with two springs G and II, exerting their tension in diverse directions, and with the stop-arms 13 B, and the spring E having the convolutions E E arranged as shown, so as to cause the springs G, and H, to perform the triple functions of acting against each other by the excess of one over the other, when the lamp is near the middle position, 

